Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39596 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39596 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
This one sure hadn’t missed that Lonnie could see them. He watched them all the way across the room, head still tilted as if he were inwardly questioning how this human saw through his glamour.
They entered an office. Since Emory had called it the tech room, Lonnie had expected a lot of computers, but there was only one. There were three big screens spread across the wide desk, but only one…being…sat in front of them. He looked like a regular man at first. Then he turned to look at them, and his eyes were all black, no whites or color at all. And the fingers he had poised over the keyboard were tipped in claws. Lonnie had no idea what he was. And frankly, this one kind of gave him the creeps.
Xavier stood beside him, looking all kinds of regal in slim, black slacks and a thick, beige cable sweater. His black hair hung loose around his face. “Callan. Lonnie. This is Daniel, Lonnie.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Daniel said in one of the deepest voices Lonnie had ever heard. “Xavier told me you need to track down someone on a message board?”
“Yes.” Lonnie opened his briefcase and handed his laptop to Daniel, the whole time dying to know what kind of preternatural he was. Was it rude to ask? He was curious about the massive one who’d watched him walk in there, too. His brain was spinning with questions, and it was taking all his control to hold them back. Xavier pulled up a chair for Lonnie, and he sat next to Daniel, his leg immediately starting to bounce from the effort.
“Daniel, Lonnie can see past glamours,” Xavier said.
“You can?” Daniel blinked those creepy, black eyes at him. “You see these?” He flexed his fingers into the air.
Lonnie nodded. “I’ve always been able to see our differences. What are you?” He popped his hand over his open mouth, heat filling his cheeks. “I’m sorry. That was so rude. I didn’t mean to offend.”
“You didn’t. I’m a banshee.”
He dropped his hand, mouth still hanging open.
“I know. You thought they were only female. We are rare, but male banshees exist.” He smiled, the expression kind and taking away a lot of his creepiness factor. “I’ve spent time on message boards where humans talk about seeing preternaturals but wasn’t sure if it was true. Interesting.” He opened Lonnie’s laptop on the one free spot on his desk. “Let’s get you logged into the operating system, then sign me into the site you use. Feel free to do whatever while you wait. It could take a little time.”
Lonnie did that, then stuck around long enough to see how Daniel typed with those long claws. He tapped away using the sharp points with complete ease, and Lonnie couldn’t help but be fascinated. It was like Callan’s horns—he hardly ever ran them into things because he’d spent so long adjusting to having them there. His glamour only hid them from view, so they were still there. Being unable to explain a busted light fixture two feet over one’s head was why he probably ducked so often, lower than he truly needed to. He had scratched up Lonnie’s headboard a bit, but he so didn’t care about that.
They had too much damn fun in that bed.
“Lake,” Xavier said, breaking into Lonnie’s thoughts. “Lonnie, this is one of our wizards who is going to be shadowing you along with Callan. He has the same abilities as the wizard who is fixated on you, so will be of great help.”
Lonnie turned to find a man who was much shorter than most of Protective Solutions’ employees. He was about Lonnie’s height but leanly ripped. He carried the same sort of graceful elegance that Xavier had, but his expression was much fiercer. Sandy brown hair in a high fade cut accented his sharp features. There were dark circles under his brown eyes, and he looked a little washed out.
Lake nodded at Lonnie, then looked at Xavier. “This last job was a bitch. I need some sleep.”
Xavier’s hair swished over his chest lightly as he nodded. “I can tell. Go home for tonight. I will join Callan and Lonnie for the evening myself.”
“Thanks.” Lake nodded toward Callan. “See you tomorrow. I have the address.” He strode from the room, stopping to talk to the massive man Lonnie had noticed earlier.
“Xavier,” Daniel suddenly said, looking up at his boss. “We have a problem.”
“Were you able to trace the person sending Lonnie all those messages?”
“Yeah.” He pointed at a map on the screen. “You know this house, and so do I.”
Xavier leaned down to peer at the screen and his lips tightened.
“What?” Callan’s voice was loud. “Who is it?”
Xavier straightened. “It’s Roman Brentwood.”
Callan’s gray skin went at least two shades lighter before it started turning red. He closed his hands into fists, nostrils flaring.